MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Should Fannie contribute to Mae's council tax?

rebore

littlemissmoney wrote: »

I don't think Fannie should pay anything. Students don't have to pay council tax because they can't afford to! Wouldn't Mae get some form of council tax benefit if she is on the minimum wage?

In my gap year I lived in Newcastle with two students whose parents paid their rent. I was working full time to pay my own share of the rent by myself (about £200 a month, moderately expensive for the time) and the council tax on top of that (about £70 a month, increasing to £90 later on as I couldn't help but get into arrears) and I had no loan whatsoever to speak of. I wanted to see what life with no qualifications on minimum wage was really like for some reason, and it's horrible. In most cohabiting situations I think council tax should be split because even if you live with ten people and you are the only one who is not a student you are solely reliable for 75% of the council tax on the property, which is ridiculous. To say students shouldn't pay council tax because they can't afford to is downright ignorant. They have a great deal more support than full time workers.

ceridwen

robpw2 wrote: »

whilst the stufent has no liability they still use the services of the council
i think single person discount should be 50 %

I dont just THINK single person discount on Council Tax should be 50% - I KNOW absolutely that single person discount on Council Tax should be 50%. Unfortunately families and couples are still in there arguing that they should be subsidised by the rest of us. Its absolutely not fair for single people to be expected to subsidise families so frequently - but they have managed to sway things that pricing structures on everything favour families right, left and centre. This still seems to be applying most of the time - even though effective contraception/legal abortion have been available for about 35 odd years now - so no-one has had a child against their will for quite some time in our society.

I analysed a typical Pricing Structure the other day - ie a healthcare scheme - as I wanted to join it. It turned out that families would make a profit from being in the scheme, couples would break even and single childless people would make a loss. In other words the message is "single childless people are not allowed to join the Scheme. If they insist on doing so - they must be prepared to accept the fact that they will be subsidising families". Fortunately - whether to join this scheme or no is voluntary - I took the hint - I refused to subsidise families and I havent joined. Council Tax however is not voluntary - so single people are left subsidising everyone else.

EDIT: Its not the case either necessarily that single status means one earns extra income. One might have made equally valid choices about how to live one's live (besides the choice to have children) and these choices often cost money as well. In my case - the choices I have made have often resulted in me earning a lower salary than others in the same position would have done - but I have insisted on being free to do whatever voluntary work I chose to do TO BENEFIT SOCIETY as well as doing a full-time job for income for my own needs).

KittaKatta

I think that if the student could afford to help with paying some of it, any of it, it would be nice if she did. She would of course be under no obligation, but if the girls are supposed to be best friends, I am sure that they would find a friendly solution - without having to take exact calculations into account.

SandC

I think I would only be cohabiting with a student if it were a friend and I was doing a favour to split the bills. In that case I would take the 75% on the chin as all other bills would be split, therefore it would still be cheaper than living alone (dependant of course on how much the council tax bill actually was).

You may have the distinctly sticky scenario of an ex student on their first full time wage, which may not be much over minimum wage, deciding to keep on living with students and finding themselves liable for another big bill that wasn't there before. The problem being do they carry on living with students knowing that the rent is reasonable, or do they branch out on their own in the hope that they can find accommodation with other workers where the rent will be comparable so that the addition of council tax doesn't make a huge difference?

Difficult one!

brightonman123

like cazzdevil said. pay up, soapdodgers!

clairmelville

As a student (assuming she's a normal student who doesn't live off dadies allowance) you have so much les money than even someone on the minimum wage and money is REALLY tight. Why should she have to pay a bill htat she is not entitled to pay.
If Mae is really is really !!!!ed off about this then she should find anotehr flatmate who can afford to pay the bills.

trejoy

If my best mate was that silly to work for minimum wage instead of getting an education, access to student bar, student loans, shopping discounts and all why would I pay their council tax? No brainer, jack the job and get on a course.
:rotfl::o:rotfl::p:rotfl:;):rotfl:

talktodaveuk

I understand that students dont have to pay however i know of a case when 6 students lived in a large house with a high council tax ban, one student became a full time worker on a low wage and had to pay 75% and the other students resused to help out and in the end he had to move to a flat to be able to afford it, the students then had a bigger rent to share between them.
Council tax should be fairer in these cases.

deanwatson842

I am currently in this situation myself (a non-student) living with my girlfriend (a postgrad student). As a postgrad student she will receive a monthly grant which will be around the same or just below my monthly salary.

I am living in a 3 bed house currently only let to the 2 of us and we hence have to pay 75% council tax that is split 75 - 0.

The 62.5 / 12.5 split seems like a much fairer option - what are peoples thoughts on my situation?

hplanty

Hi first time post so please be gentle with me.

We had a similar situation a shared house of 4 full time Uni students and 1 person working so eligible for the 75% (he had dropped out of uni and was dating one of the other housemates so we were not going to throw him out)
however 1 of the students was on a placement year and earned more than the working person but as this was during her course she was still counted as a student Was it fair for her not to contribute to this tax?
I believe that during the year she did contribute something but certainly not half the bill.
As for the comment about not having to pay if you are on minimum wage (or discounts) from earlier poster you still have to pay in full and if you have don't have kids, a disability or are in employment there is very little help available (believe me i have been there!) you can not even claim Working Tax credit if you are under 25 which seems unfair when you have to pay as much NI.